Owners

Lionel Messi has been suspended for one game after sitting out the MLS All-Star Game without prior approval, the league said on Friday.

The Inter Miami forward and his teammate, Jordi Alba, did not compete on Wednesday despite not being injured, even though they were included in the All-Star roster.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas described both players as "consummate professionals" who were "extremely upset" about the suspensions.

Messi upset about MLS ban

Premier League side Crystal Palace have been dropped in European competition to the third-tier Conference League in a multi-club ownership case, while Olympique Lyonnais will be allowed to play in the Europa League, UEFA said on Friday.

Palace had qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last season, while Lyon reached the competition by finishing sixth in Ligue 1.

Olympique Lyonnais have been relegated to Ligue 2, French football's financial watchdog (DNCG) said on Tuesday following an audit of the club.

Lyon were provisionally demoted by the DNCG in November for financial mismanagement and the decision was confirmed on Tuesday.

Lyon relegated to Ligue 2

WREXHAM — Wrexham earned promotion for a record third straight season with a 3-0 home win over Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday, the latest chapter in a stunning rise under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Sam Smith struck twice after Ollie Rathbone opened the scoring to send the Red Dragons up to the Championship (second tier) next season in front of a jubilant Racecourse Ground crowd that included Canada's Reynolds and American McElhenney.

Club Leon will be removed from the Club World Cup in the United States later this year as it and another Mexican club in the tournament, CF Pachuca, failed to meet criteria on multi-club ownership, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.

Both Leon and Pachuca are owned by Grupo Pachuca. Leon had qualified after winning the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2023 while Pachuca won the competition last year.

Promotion and relegation is really happening. The United Soccer League (USL) announced on Wednesday it will be implementing a relegation system featuring three tiers by 2028 after a supermajority of club owners voted yes on the idea. 

This system won’t include Major League Soccer which has historically been opposed to the idea.

MANCHESTER — Manchester United plan to build a new $2.59 billion 100,000-seat stadium that will be the biggest in Britain, next to the existing Old Trafford, the club announced on Tuesday.

"Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world's greatest football stadium, at the center of a regenerated Old Trafford," United's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said in a statement.

Serie A seeks to win the race of becoming the first top European league to play league games in the United States. Serie A president Ezio Simonelli said on Tuesday that the league wants to play overseas soon.

Serie A and LaLiga have been the two elite leagues leading the charge of hosting matches in the U.S. Last year it was rumored that Barcelona and Atlético Madrid would play in Miami, however the idea fell through.

Crystal Palace ace Jean-Philippe Mateta was removed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital during his side’s FA Cup match vs. Millwall on Saturday after being the victim of a horror tackle.

Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish gave an interview at halftime and called the tackle Mateta suffered, “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.”